It never ceases to amaze mehow quickly time goes by. Herewe are in May already and I’malready noticing the slowing down

of trafc. You can almost hear

a big sigh amongst those whose businesses were booming duringseason this year! Additionally,there is a marked difference ininventory now available in theSouthwest Florida real estatemarket. Typically during this timeof year, we will see inventory godown. However, as history hasshown, home sales in SouthwestFlorida remain pretty steadyduring the summer months. Lastsummer, according the MultipleListing Service for the Naples,Bonita Springs and Esteromarkets, we averaged 576 homessales per month during the monthsof July-Dec 2011 – that is a prettyrespectable number for a regionthat has an “off-season.” The pointis that if you are thinking aboutlisting a property or you have a property listed currently, this is notthe time to remove that listing!Based on the sales history Imentioned above, you could saythat while this season is nearingan end, we could see strong saleslast year well into June 2011. Thereason for this is because many of our winter visitors keep tabs onSouthwest Florida long after theyleave. The Internet and, of course,mobile devices have allowed thosevisitors to continue looking atthe Southwest Florida real estatemarket, checking the listingsand keeping in touch with agentsall summer long. I expect to seethat trend move into this June aswell, as our snowbirds have beensnatching up homes in this marketall season long.Additionally, summer buyersare a little different as well.These are buyers who have beenmonitoring the market all season.They’ve looked at differentneighborhoods, amenities, home prices, and the market stats. Thesefolks are now serious buyers whoare at the jumping off point. And,these buyers don’t necessarilyhave to be in Southwest Florida.If you remove your home fromthe market now, you’re likely to

miss these serious buyers. You’ll

also miss the decrease in inventoryavailable, which can be helpfulin seeing increased showings andactivity.

You may also be inclined to ask

your Realtor to remove your listingand just promote via word of mouth a.k.a. the “pocket listing.”This too is the wrong thing to dofor the reasons stated above AND because we know that over 95% of all real estate searches take placeon the Internet. If you’re sellinga home in Southwest Florida, notcontinuing your Internet presenceis just an all-around a bad idea inany season.Lastly, if you’re thinking of selling your home and you’relooking for representation, nowmay be the time for me to toota horn. Just recently myself and my team, Team MichaelBurke / Coconut Point Team,was recognized as one of just

ve top national agent/teams

who have excelled in businessgrowth. Featured as the cover story in Keller Williams’ national publication, Outfront, our teamwas credited as growing our business from $9 to $24 millionin production in just one year byapplying solid business planning,economic principles, and offeringthe best in client marketingresources.Speaking of resources, hereare some incentives and exclusive

saying that there was a car alarm going off in the parkinglot. She said she had been hearing it off and on all afternoon but she couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from. When

we went to the parking lot to investigate, instead of nding

hoodlums trying to make off with the boss’ Volvo, therewas a little grey and black bird on a low branch alternating between car alarm sirens and a whole repertoire of calls andtunes. They don’t call them mockingbirds for nothing.

You may have noticed that your surroundings have

become a little more musical (or noisy depending on your preferences) lately. It’s nesting season for mockingbirdsand many of the males are out singing their little hearts outtrying to attract a girlfriend. I’m not much of a bird watcher but these crazy little birds are not only amazing singers andmimics, they are unusual, intelligent and playful birds thatare absolutely fearless when it comes to defending their nests and their young.In nesting season, male mockingbirds will sometimessing nonstop through the night trying to impress the females.They have a repertoire of 50 to 200 songs and sounds and

this also consists of specic sounds to communicate danger

to other mockingbirds in the area. If a major intruder enterstheir territory the birds will call to other mockingbirds tocome drive the threat away. They are very social birds and,

though you’ll rarely see them in ocks or large groups, they

take care of each other and will sometimes watch over other species of birds’ young if they’re being unattended.Mockingbirds just don’t behave like all the other birds.For instance, when they’re on the ground they don’t hop,they run. Sometimes when they’re running along the groundthey’ll lift their wings halfway, pause for a second and thenextend their wings all the way. Then they’ll run a little bitmore and repeat the same wing lifting. Is it some sort of mating dance? Some type of territorial marking? Evidently,

no one really knows. One theory is that, by ashing the

white parts of their wings, they scare bugs (the main stapleof their diet) out of hiding. I don’t know if that is true but itis fun to watch. They’re also silly when they get together.They love to play and if you ever see two of them together they’ll grapple in midair, all the while growling, or willhop sideways over each other in some birdy version of leapfrog. Mating? Playing? Only mockingbirds know for sure.If you’ve ever gotten too close to a mockingbird’s nest,

you’ll know rsthand that they don’t care how big you

are, they will go straight for your head to keep you fromtheir young. A 2009 study discovered that mockingbirdscan recognize and differentiate between humans. Amockingbird can pick a human out of group who hasthreatened or seemed to threaten its nest in the past. Thisis not news to a certain mail carrier in Tulsa, Okla. whowas targeted by an outraged mockingbird. "It goes fromchimney to chimney, tree to tree, whenever it sees the mailcarrier, following her down the block. It swoops down andattempts to peck at her." It left everyone else on the block alone. Evidently the mail lady got too close to a nest atone point. I’ve personally seen mockingbirds go after cats,dogs, humans, other birds – including hawks and eagles – and I’ve even seen a mockingbird attack a 5-foot long blacksnake. It chased the snake for quite a while, grabbingits tail and almost lifting it off the ground. They do not takekindly to strangers wandering too close to their homes.It’s easy to see why these birds have been the subject

of many stories and songs and why ve different states,

including Florida, have chosen it as state bird. They’re

erce little birds lled with personality. All that singing

and noisemaking can be a little annoying when you’retrying to get some sleep but remember, as Harper Lee said,“Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for usto enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest incorncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts outfor us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

Mockingbird in the midst of the wing-raising dash Mockingbird swooping in to drive away an intruder

As an attorney focusingon real estate law insouthwest Florida, Ifrequently receive phonecalls from distraughtconsumers who thoughtthey were getting a greatdeal by purchasing propertyat judicial auction, only to

nd out that their “steal” is

riddled with title defects,unanticipated obligationsand hidden costs. Whilemany great deals are available at judicial auction, theuninformed bidder may be purchasing much more than they bargained for. The good news is that through counsel, duediligence and prudent decision making, an informed bidder can distinguish the deals from the duds.There are a variety of legal actions that may ultimatelyresult in a judicial auction of real property. Most frequently, property is auctioned as the result of a mortgage or other lienforeclosure action in which a creditor is seeking to recover amounts due on a contract. However, simply because a lienis foreclosed does not mean that all monetary liability, or even all liens associated with the property are eliminated.A common example is the situation where a primarymortgage is foreclosed, yet fees remain due and owing toa community association for unpaid assessments. Pursuantto Florida Statutes 718.116(1)(a) and 720.3085(2)(b), thewinning third party bidder becomes jointly and severallyliable with the prior owner for any unpaid communityassociation assessments which accrued prior to the sale.Oftentimes these fees are exorbitant and entirely wipe outany gain anticipated by the unsuspecting bidder, or evenworse, put the bidder in a negative equity position.Another issue arises where a junior lien is foreclosed.The average consumer does not realize that when a junior lien is foreclosed and the property subsequently auctioned,the winning bidder takes title subject to any superior liensthat were not eliminated by the junior lienor’s foreclosure.For instance, if a community association forecloses a lienfor unpaid assessments, and a third party bidder purchasesthe property at the auction, he/she may take title subject toa primary purchase money mortgage.In order to avoid unanticipated liability, it is imperativethat bidders take proactive measures to retain the counsel of

a qualied real estate attorney to review and determine the

status of title to the property. By reviewing title, the bidder can discern what, if any, issues exist and make an informed bid at the auction.